The Montreal Canadiens' onus on establishing their backend has shown early rewards, with Logan Mailloux leading the way for non-NHL skaters.
A native of Belle River, Ontario, Mailloux has had an impressive start to his pro hockey career. With the Laval Rocket, the six-foot-three right-shot defender sits fourth in team scoring with 28 points. His 10 goals are good for fourth on the team and his 18 assists rank him fourth one behind Joshua Roy.
Logan Mailloux is currently on a 7-game point streak scoring 8 points in that span and has 28 points in 40 games this year
A nice statical output from the Rocket Rookie#GoHabsGo
It was unclear at the beginning of the year, how Mailloux would adjust to the AHL. While he does make mistakes and get beat, he has been given the confidence to keep growing. The emergence of his offensive game resembles that of a top-four NHL defenseman.
Mailloux is in the perfect setting to polish his game in the attacking zone while tightening up his defensive zone play. Naturally gifted with a large frame and long reach, Mailloux has the tools to shut plays down and loves to play the body. With pro coaches teaching him, there’s no telling how much his game will grow over the next year.
On the thin right side of the Habs defence, a guy like Mailloux is fully aware that he will fill a big role. I would argue that aside from Mike Matheson, Mailloux would be the best offensive defender on the Habs. Offensively, Mailloux has the highest ceiling of all the right-shot defensemen in the Habs system, at this juncture.
To be considered: With a significant organizational need for elite offensive talent, the budding defence group could fuel a trade.
Mailloux, Barron and Reinbacher will be in the mix soon enough. If Barron, Mailloux and Reinbacher are battling for two spots, trading the odd man out could work in the Canadiens' favour. These young guys need to be playing every night, especially this early in their development to becoming NHLers, bottom-pairing minutes won’t cut it.
Defence Could Be Used To Acquire Offense
Colorado Avalanche v Montreal Canadiens / Minas Panagiotakis/GettyImages
Down with Laval, Mailloux is the lone high-potential right-shot defender. But the Rocket should have a few more Habs picks available over the next few years. Then we will have a better idea of the assets available and expendable for the Habs.
And the Draft 2024 could give the Habs a couple more options. From the 2023 draft - David Reinbacher is almost guaranteed to play in the Canadiens system next year. And Bogdan Konyushkov, while under contract in Russia, expressed his desire to play in North America.
Depending on the direction in the draft that the Habs take, Kent Hughes could stand to gain from his wealth of young blueliners.
Let’s say he acquires something for Sean Monahan, perhaps that gets packaged to move up in the draft. This could almost guarantee a top-forward talent in the draft. Nothing is set in stone yet, but moving a defender in a package could land Montreal either another first-round pick or an impactful forward.
Also to note: The Canadiens also have Daniil Sobolev and Dmitri Kostenko, both selected in the 2021 draft. Both are right-shot defenders and projected as AHLers but could be add-ins for a trade.
I don’t see a situation where the Canadiens skip on top forward talent in the draft. A left-shot winger/centre that could slot into the top six. Bringing in an additional piece through trade could set the Habs forward group up for success.
With Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky and Kirby Dach set in the top six, adding in a 2024 first-round prospect will be huge for the Canadiens. Adding a prospect or additional high pick could be huge. If Newhook can hit, then the Habs have themselves a nice group.
Not to be forgotten: Emil Heineman, Jesse Ylonen and Joshua Roy are some other potential top six options. But if they can find their spot in the bottom six, the forward depth will be a strength. For a team that has long been starved for offence, building a roster with scoring depth will stand the test of time.
Future Blueline - Who’s In The Mix?
It’s hard to assess who slots in where, and Martin St Louis distributes the minutes on the blue line. But one thing is for certain, the Habs will have a formidable group of blueliners. With many of them under 24 years old, this group will be around for a while.
Left defence: Kaiden Guhle and Jayden Struble sit atop the U24 defence group for the Habs. Guhle has picked up where he left off in his rookie season, his potential appears to be quite high. Struble took advantage of an opportunity and is staying put in Montreal.
Mike Matheson is currently the Habs' best defenseman, who munches minutes and QBs the first powerplay unit. He is older than the Habs core group. And I think it’s only a matter of time before he gets moved.
Lane Hutson will almost certainly report to Montreal as soon as he finishes his sophomore season. The Boston University Terrier will likely be sheltered to begin, but I see him slotting into the top four at the end of the day. Adam Engstrom is another player, who I think has a bright future and could slot onto the Habs blueline soon enough.
William Trudeau is also in the mix, playing his second season with the Rocket. A solid skater with some nice puck skills, I see a bottom-pair defender.
With a nice mix of blueliners in the fold, the Canadiens need a home-run pick for an elite forward to push the team toward contender status. The right side is looking stronger than in recent years. So, in the meantime, we wait, which gives the prospects time to grow and develop.
Rebuilds aren’t easy, but this team competes hard. And Martin St. Louis hasn’t got all of his top prospects in the mix yet. Give it another season and the Habs will look much different.
